Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jaco Beach and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaco Beach: $1,445 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
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Jaco Beach Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,445

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jaco Beach and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Jaco Beach and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,445 in Jaco Beach versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Jaco Beach $1,445
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,296 in Jaco Beach versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Jaco Beach $2,296
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,147 in Jaco Beach versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Jaco Beach $3,147
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Jaco Beach costs roughly 10% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jaco Beach 6% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.32 ₡5,106

$10.62 MX$199

6.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.14 ₡19.5K

$48.35 MX$904

-10.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 ₡4,612

$10.35 MX$193

-1.26%

Cappuccino

$3.99 ₡1,799

$3.69 MX$69.0

8.13%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₡1,085

$1.67 MX$31.14

43.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡844

$1.27 MX$23.65

47.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 ₡1,441

$3.19 MX$59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₡1,954

$5.31 MX$99.2

-18.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ₡892

$1.72 MX$32.23

15.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 ₡989

$3.04 MX$56.8

-27.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,078

$1.94 MX$36.27

23.20%

Eggs

$2.60 ₡1,175

$2.89 MX$54.0

-10.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,865

$10.97 MX$205

-1.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 ₡4,008

$9.25 MX$173

-4.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 ₡5,466

$15.13 MX$283

-19.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 ₡2,233

$3.05 MX$57.0

62.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ₡748

$1.94 MX$36.27

-14.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 ₡2,141

$2.03 MX$37.85

133.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,544

$2.31 MX$43.25

48.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 ₡676

$2.04 MX$38.03

-26.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ₡641

$1.80 MX$33.63

-21.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₡447

$1.48 MX$27.64

-33.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₡900

$1.27 MX$23.69

56.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.01 ₡2,711

$5.30 MX$99.1

13.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.81 ₡6,231

$16.10 MX$301

-14.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,192

$1.98 MX$37.06

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡985

$4.25 MX$79.5

-48.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.70

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,125

$1.84 MX$34.34

35.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡735

$0.53 MX$9.97

207.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.53 ₡3,848

$5.30 MX$99.0

60.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.51 MX$28.23

3.97%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$21.8K MX$406.5K

55.79%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$42.6K ₡19.2M

$24.0K MX$448.2K

77.69%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$79.6 ₡35.9K

$63.0 MX$1,177

26.31%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.88 ₡10.8K

$27.39 MX$512

-12.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.69 ₡21.5K

$35.67 MX$666

33.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ₡23.4K

$58.9 MX$1,101

-11.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 ₡3,483

$6.40 MX$120

20.62%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$479 ₡216.3K

$432 MX$8,065

11.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,442 ₡3.4M

$11.4K MX$213.5K

-34.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.50 ₡11.5K

$68.2 MX$1,275

-62.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ₡25.4K

$53.1 MX$993

5.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.3K

$108 MX$2,014

17.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.8K

$117 MX$2,191

13.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₡337.6K

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-32.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 ₡237.2K

$710 MX$13.3K

-26.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡895.4K

$2,588 MX$48.4K

-23.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 ₡495.8K

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-21.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$402 ₡181.3K

$946 MX$17.7K

-57.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.35

-24.05%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Jaco Beach: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Jaco Beach

$526 36.4%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 35.2% $185

Groceries & Markets

Jaco Beach

$326 22.6%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 2% $6.4

Eating Out

Jaco Beach

$211 14.6%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 5.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Jaco Beach

$154 10.6%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 1.5% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jaco Beach

$151 10.5%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 16.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Jaco Beach

$67 4.7%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 6.5% $4.3

Getting Around

Jaco Beach

$11 * 0.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 139% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $748 in Jaco Beach and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Jaco Beach vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $320, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

Same time as Jaco Beach

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jaco Beach Mexico City 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Jaco Beach
Mexico City

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Jaco Beach vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jaco Beach is cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Jaco Beach. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $748 in Jaco Beach versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Jaco Beach – a meal for two runs $43 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $479 in Jaco Beach versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Jaco Beach wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.